Improved portable gasometer



N, PETERS.- PHOTO-Ll'ruoanAPHeR. WASHINGTON, u. c,

stent @time J. HENRY. HAYWARD., or NEW YORK, N. Y.

Letters vPatent No. 93,435, dated August 10, 1869.

IMPROVED PORTABIE GASOMETER.

The Schedule referred' to in these Letters Patent and making part of the s'ame.

To all whom 'it may concern:

Be it known that I, J. HENRY HAYWARD, `author and journalist, of the city, and county, and State of New York, havexmade certain new and useful improvements in my method of lightingcars and boats,

and other moving bodies, with gas, patented March 29, 1864, and subsequentl y secured by caveat, January 21, 1867; and I hereby declare that thefollowing is a full and exact description thereof, it Vbeing a Portable Gasometer, designedv to carry .gas from place to place, Ifor said purpose, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, making a part of these specifica? tions, thel corresponding letters and gures marked thereon representing the same thing in each.

Figure N o. l is a vertical section of the standing gasometer, showing the interior.

Figure No. 2 is a' plane View of the same, showing the top cross-bars, screw-bolts, 815e.

Figure No. 3 is a vertical'section of the swinging gasometer, showingthe interior.

Figure N o. 4 is a vertical section of the centre-rod, showing a second method of making the sleeve gastight. u Figure N o. 5 is a Avertical section of the centre-rod sleeve, with the lock-nut and rubber collar removed. Figure No. 6 is an exterior View-of the sleeve-cup, showing the gas-vents. f

Fig. N o. 1 is a retort, of cast or sheet-metal, of any required size or shape, strengthened by the application of a band or bands of metal, as `shown atthe points marked A, and if cast, smoothly bored out, so

as to admit of the free movement, up and down, of

the compressor B.

This retort is secured to the base, O, by means of the screw-rods D, which pass down outside of the retort, through holes in the ends of the top cross-bars E, thence down, through corresponding holes in the bands A, to the base, at the points marked F, into which they are entered and set with nuts, thus binding thewhole apparatus together, with the single exceptionof the cover G, which is slotted at the screw.- rods, so as to admit of its removal, if desired, while the top cross-bars are thus also, at the same time, used as a means of preventing the compresser from raising out of the retort when the gas is Abeing compressed therein.

B B is the compresser, consisting of four distinct parts, viz, the top plate H, bottom plate I, top girder K, and the flexible lining or packing L.

This lining or packing is composed of rubber or other suitable material, extending the full depth 0f the retort, used for the purpose of obtaining va movable gas-tight joint between .the compresser and retort, 'and.also, at the same time, prevent the escape of gas,` in case of anyaccident that might open a leak in the retort.

The girder K, and the top plate H, made of cast or sheet-metal, are so constructed as to it neatly, one into the other, at the points of contact, when set the same time, act as a means whereby the connections for the supply and exhaust-pipes N are made, and rendered perfectly gas-tight.

The bottom plate I is set into the inner basin of the base, C, and there held by means of the nipple and lock-nuts, at the points marked O.

To the edges of the top and bottom plates, the top and bottom edges of the lining'or packing are-firmly secured and made gas-tight, by the application of cement or other suitable material.

These four parts thus compose the compresser proper, by means of which the gas is contained and hermetically retained `in the retort, and there com- `pressed, and thence expelled through the exhaustpipes (either the tcp or bottom ones, as the case requires, being used,) to the burners, for consumption.

P P is the centre-rod, made of cast or wrought made either hollow or solid. If solid, it is applied simply as a guide and support, to lead the compresser squarely up and down the retort, and thus do away with-all side friction,which must otherwise be employed to keep the compresser steady.

When solid, either the lower or upper supply and exhaust-pipes lN, in the bottom 0r top plates, are used in operating the gas.

If the rod is hollow, however, those points of ingress and egress of the gas are closed by plugs, the hollow in the rod being employed in their stead.

To accomplish this, there is ashoulder on both the lower and upper end of the rod, where it passes the top plate'and top cross-bars at the top, the nuts and, washers, whichhold the rod firmly in place above and below, being packed with rubber or other suitapcints marked R.

Further, the bottom end of 'the rod is pierced through horizontally, from its outside to its inside surface, by four or moreholcs, at the points marked S, through which the gas fn'ds its way'into and out of the retort.

When the bottom or top end of the 4centre-rod is used for that purposethe "external gas-connections to the supply-pipe and burners are simply the ordinary gas-T and stop-cock, as shown at the points marked T.

In any case, the rod is to be exactly true, and neatly turned, each end, beyond the shoulder, being out with threads, for the lock-nuts and adjustments of the gasconnections, as above set forth.

S S is the sleeve-cup, of sheet or cast-metal, so

arranged that if the hollow of the centre-rod is to be firmly together by the lock-nuts M, which latter, at Y metal, (copper or brass being preferable, to avoid rust,')

thrughthe bottom plate at the bottom, and through l ble material, to prevent leakage, as shown at the employed, for the ingress and egress of the gas, this cup must be so placed at the 'lower end of the rod, between the shoulder and the bottom plate, as to be there firmly held, without further securing.

t This sleeve-cup is made ofsufieicnt depth, (the sides being pierced with vent-holes, so as to admit the free passage of the gas, as shown in Fig. No. 6,) so that when the compresser is at the bottom of the retort, the shoulders o f the. sleeve will rest upon the upper edge of the cup, and thus prevent thevrubhcr collar from going down so far as to cover the holes in the bottom end of the rod, and thus cut off the gas, which it would otherwise do.

The cup, above and below, is also well packed with rubber, or other suitable material.

U U is the centre-rod sleeve, with the rubber collar and sleeve-nut adjusted.

Fig. No. 5 shows the same, free of the rod, the nut, the rubber, and 4top plate.

This is properly made of cast metal-copper or brass being preferable, to prevent rust-neat-l y turned and fitted to the rod and hole through the .top plate, which there rests on the sleeve-shoulder, where it is snugly packed with rubber, and firmly held down by the sleeve-nut, so as to prevent leakage at that point, while below the plate, aud at vthe lower edge of the sleeve, all leakage is prevented, by means of the rubber collar, as shown at the points marked V.

. This rubber collar is sprung firmly over the lower neck of the sleeve, and there well secured, while the part which clasps the rod, being 0f a less diameter than the rod, grasps it tightly, and thus makes a gastightjoint, while the inside of the rubber collar, being coated with plumbago, (as a lubricator,) lnoves up and down the smooth surface of the centre-rod with perfeet freedom, the pressure of the gas within, when' compressed, causing it to impinge still more closely upon the rod, which gives it an advantage over the ordinary packing or stuling-box, which may also be here employed, as well as the method shown in Fig. No. 4.

Fig. No. 4 is` simply a thin tubing, of rubber or other suitable material, somewhat larger than the rod, hermetically secured above the vent-holes in the bottom of the rod, and above the sleeve-lips at the top, while to prevent it impiuging too closely upon the rod, and thus becoming jammed between the sleeve-lips and the surface of the rnd, a light wire spiral spring, fitting nicely over the rod, is inserted, and fastened, top and bottom, beneath the rubber tubing, which is thus relieved of the pressure of the gas, and carried uniformly down on the wire to the sleeve-cup, as the compresser descends.

W W are the springs, by means of which the gas is compressed and expelled, in a uniform manner, to the burners.

These springs may bc of any suitable kind, spiral, conical, volute, or extension, (as here represented,) the latter being preferable, as their action is more uniform, and a far greater range of motion is gained by them,'as thus adjusted, one upon the other, the pressure and motion being always the same, no matter how great the number employed.

C O is thebase, of cast metal or other suitable material, the inner circumference of 'which corresponds with the size of the bottom plate, into which' the latter sets, as before explained.

The four extreme comers of the base are supplied with spring-bolts, bottom nuts, and springs, marked F, applied for the purpose of securing the apparatus to the object to be illuminated, and at the same time counteract the jolting, jarring motion, if any, so that the disturbing action will not be communicated to the flow of the gas to the burners, which would otherwise produce a flickering light.

If, however, the apparatus is not subject to any disturbing action, these spring-bolts, nuts, and springs, may be dispensed with.

Further than this, the base is simply a base, cmployed to support and keep the entire apparatus firmly and securely together.

G G is the cover, of sheet or cast metal, the same as the retort, to which it is neatly fitted.

This cover may be made flat, or otherwise, to suit the required purpose, with a small opening in the centre, to admit of the extreme end of the centre-rod, where the gas-connection is made, if the top orifice is used.

An additional hole or holes are made, also, therein, to effect the esca-pe of the air confined within the retort above the compresser, as the gas is being introduced and compressed beneath.

Further than this, and the slot-holes on its edge, as before described, to facilitate its removal from the retort, it is simply a cover.

Fig. No. 3 is a vertical section of the swinging gasometer, showing the method of hanging the same to the bottom of the car or other moving body, when the top is the point of attachment, instead of the bottom; as also showing a different Inethod of uniting the lining or packing, and the top and bottom plates together, which is accomplished by simply rolling the edge of the sheet-metal and the rubber lining closely together, one into the other, and making them there gas-tight by solder on the outside, where metal and metal come in contact, and by cemented cloth, or its equivalent, where the packing and metal join inside.

The base, as described, for the standing apparatus, is here entirely dispensed with, the bottom plate, in this case, being confined to the retort by bottom crossbars, similar to those of the top, and there secured to the centre-rod, in the same manner as at the top.

The arms of the bottom cross-bars are extended beyond the diameter of the retort sufleiently to allow them to be bent upward, and then outward, at right angles, so as to form a sort of basket, in which the apparatus swings, and is thereby suspended and secured by bolts, to the bottom of the car.

In all other respects the standing and swinging apparatus are identical.

Fig. No. 2 is the base, showing the relative position of the parts heretofore described.

Further, the'centre-rod, as heretofore described, may be arranged, one or more in number, running through the interior, or at the sides or corners, externally; or guides and rollers, running in grooves, or otherwise, governed by checks and check-lines, may be employed as a substitute.

Having thus described my invention,

What I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent. is-

1. The movable piston-head or compresser, with its several parts, employed for the purpose of containing, hermetically retaining, compressing, and expelling the gas, in a uniform manner, by spring-power, or its equivalent, substantially as describe'd.

2. The centre-rod, and its several parts, applied for the purpose of guiding and supporting the movable piston-head squarely up and down the retort, without external friction, also, as it is applied, as a means of ingress and egress for the contents of the retort, through its centre, at the top or bottom ends, essentially as set forth.

3. The sleeve-cup and its several parts, employed for the purpose of preventing the closing of the vent holesat the bottom of the rod, by the rubber sleeveeollar, for the purpose and by the means as substantially described.

4. The centre-rod sleeve and its several parts, as' applied in` Fig. No. 1, and shown in detail in Fig.No.

substances, as shown in Fig. No. 3, and herein fully described.

7. The method of suspending and fast'ening the swinging apparatus, by the bottomross-bars, to a moving body, essentially as set forth.

J.. HENRY HAYWARD.

Witnesses:

EDW'D. W. MALLOY, T. I. LEWIS. 

